Sometimes You Just Have To Walk Away
by penguin0491
Summary: What happened after the Malfoy's walked away at the end of DHpt2? This is a possible outcome, that helps me with my hatred of the epilogue  Which means it would change how 19 years later works :


**A/N: I went to see the final movie today, and I must say, that I liked how the Malfoy's walked away after they were reunited, because even though in the book, they stayed and were there at the end, they still stayed united as a family. I also love how Draco wasn't going to re-join the dark lord until his mother called for him, because let's face it, his father just led him down too many wrong paths, but his mother, he's always loved his mother. So, this is based off of them walking away and how Draco came to be free and married with a son, in the epilogue :) Read, enjoi, review? **

His mother beckoned for him and his resolve broke. In his heart he knew he chose the light side, he would die for it, even if no one knew it, however, he had to protect his mother. Several students whispered "coward" and "knew you would go back" as he passed, but he couldn't refuse his mother. His father stopped being a father long ago, but his mother was always a mother and he would die protecting her before he let that vile dark lord get his hands on her again. As he reached her, she held out her hand and he grasped it, he looked at Longbottom, and for one moment, Draco Malfoy knew that one person on the other side knew what it meant to want nothing more than to protect his family. He knew Neville Longbottom, would die fighting before he surrendered to the man who robbed him of his own parents, even if they weren't dead.

"Draco, listen to me," his mother breathed as she started walking him toward the death eaters, "When we get a chance, we are leaving, I've only stayed this night because you did not join us when they evacuated the students. I will not stay and watch as you get killed." He nodded once and knew that his mother was repentant as well. He turned back to the crowd of the assembled light fighters, and watched as the heir to the Longbottom family walked forward. In that moment, Draco lost his hope in humanity. If the lightest person on the planet after Harry Potter himself, was joining the dark lord, then there was no hope for the world. His fears were dissolved as Neville Longbottom, stood proud and told Voldemort that he had something to say. In fact, Draco almost walked back to the side he had truly chosen when the Gryffindor made his speech. Draco knew that things had only just begun to get bad, but out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, and not just any movement but a body falling to the ground. He looked and there was Potter crouching and smirking at the Voldemort before running off down the hall drawing the pursuing battle into the castle once more.

"Now my son!" Narcissa whispered to Draco and as the other death eaters pushed past, the Malfoy family stayed firm, and when they could see the end of the crowd they walked toward the path to Hogsmead. They may very well end up in Azkaban in the coming weeks, or if the dark lord succeeds in killing Harry Potter, they could be killed in their home for betraying him, but they were leaving the battle together. The Malfoy family knew they had chosen wrong, they repented, and they chose to walk away and stay together rather than to rejoin the fight and die.

-Three Weeks Later-

"All rise!" Squeaked a short plump man. "On this day, we come together to oversee the hearing of one Draco Lucius Severus Malfoy and one Narcissa Renee Malfoy nee Black, the accused are charged with the following, belonging to an illegal group that wishes to overtake the ministry, for which the punishment is a fine of up to 2500 galleons, each, as well as multiple counts of the use of dark spells that are banned by the ministry in the final battle of the second war of Voldemort, for which the punishment is life imprisonment with a possibility of getting out on good behavior depending on the number of crimes committed.. The fact that the patriarch of the family was found guilty two days ago, shall have no precedence in this case, and anyone trying to use it as cause for a guilty judgment shall find themselves kicked out of this room, and banned from continuing in the court. Acting Minister Bones presiding, speaking in defense of the accused is Mr. Harry James Potter, Ms. Hermione Jean Granger, and Mr. Ronald Billius Weasley. Let the record show, the three speaking in defense have had many run-ins with young Mr. Malfoy, and as such are of sound mind, and are not biased in his partial." After the man finished speaking, both Malfoy's were led to the chairs in the middle of the room, and chained to them. They knew their chances of escaping Azkaban depended on the three people they had treated with disdain for several years.

Once they were sat down, another door opened and the aurors led Harry, Hermione, and Ron into the room. They sat in the side box until called. Ron was first.

"Mr. Weasley, please tell us what you know of Mrs. Malfoy's spell casting during the final battle." The Wizengamot speaker stated.

"Sir, she didn't cast a single spell that night. Light or Dark. She had loaned her wand to her son when he went back to school, because a few weeks prior, Harry Potter had taken Malfoy's wand when we were captured by snatchers and escaped." The Wizengamot looked taken aback. They hadn't known that anyone made an actual escape from the prison that Voldemort had turned the Malfoy dungeons into.

"Very well, those charges shall be dropped for Mrs. Malfoy, do you have any incriminating proof that Narcissa Malfoy was a death eater?" Ron shook his head, and then remembered he must verbally answer for them to know its truth.

"No sir, I do not. The only thing I know is she stood by her husband, but I have never known anyone to even suspect her as a death eater. She was and is a dutiful wife, in my belief that is all." With that the speaker waved Ron back to the witness holding box and called Hermione. The muggle-born witch was not happy about being in the courtroom, every time she came here it reminded her of when they had snuck into the ministry and she was forced to listen to Umbridge for an hour.

"Ms. Granger, you have had several infractions with Mr. Malfoy since you met, correct?" Madam Bones asked her.

"Yes ma'am. However, even with those infractions in our past, it is my belief that in the end Draco chose the right side. He only went to the "dark" side of the standoff because his mother was there with his father. Had she not beckoned to him, he would have stayed standing where he were, and he would have helped to defeat Tom Riddle Jr. I have no doubts about it." Madam Bones was about to ask another question, when Hermione added, "In fact, he stood back to back with me at one point in the battle before that and helped me fight off the death eaters that were surrounding me." This stunned the jury as well. It seems that the "Golden Trio" was able to stun them a lot with their outlook on the accused, in any trial.

"Ms. Granger, do you remember, at any time during the battle of Hogwarts, seeing either of the accused cast a dark or banned spell?" Hermione thought for a moment. Draco had used Sectumsempra on a death eater who was about to kill Dean Thomas, but Narcissa wasn't even in the battle.

"Mrs. Malfoy, to my knowledge didn't participate in any fighting, but I do remember Draco casting one "dark" spell ma'am. However, it was used on a death eater who was pointing their wand at our classmate Dean Thomas, and was half way through saying the killing curse. Draco used the "Sectumsempra" curse on them and severed their wand hand from their body, so they could not do this." The jury nodded. Anyone who went on trial, was excused from using spells such as Sectumsempra if they were used on death eaters. After this Hermione was excused and Harry was called to the stand.

"Mr. Potter, I understand that you have asked to tell a story of what happened that night rather than answer questions?" Harry nodded and Madam Bones told the speaker to let him proceed, and so he did.

"The night of the final battle, I was given memories to view in a penseive by Professor Severus Snape, on his death bed. In these memories I learned that Professor Dumbledore knew all along I must willingly sacrifice myself for the wizarding world to continue existence. He knew that if I did this, not only would I live, through means I cannot, and will not reveal, as it had to do with why Tom Riddle thought himself invincible, and I will not put that knowledge back into the world, but that I would also be able to end the war. Even if I had not lived, there were several others who knew how to kill Tom and I trusted them to do so. After I walked into the forest and Tom cast the killing curse at me, I was unconscious for several moments, as was he. When he came too, he had Mrs. Malfoy check to make sure I was dead. Now, you can only fake death so well, she felt for a pulse and obviously it was there, so she asked me so quietly I almost missed it, if Draco, her only son, was still alive in the castle. I inclined my head fractionally, and she told Tom Riddle that I was dead. Now please understand, she lied to a man who would kill her dead in the blink of an eye if he smelled deception, because she wanted nothing more than to get to her son. She did the same thing my mother did almost seventeen years ago, only was not caught until it was too late.

"Draco Malfoy, and I, have had quite the past together. In fact, while some would call us rivals, I would even say we're borderline friends. If you were to ask us any question about each other, we could probably answer it. I know that Draco is a marked death eater, and so his punishment should be clear. However, the lines of white and black do mix and when they do they make grey. Draco took the mark, and willingly if I had to hazard a guess, but I also know, he did it to protect his mother. His father was already in ranks with Tom, and thus he really had no other option. Had he tried to take his mother and run, no where would have been safe until the war was over, and if the war ended in favor of Tom, then they would forever be on the run. Draco was given a suicide mission as his initiation into the ranks, his job was to kill Albus Dumbledore. Draco knew he could not succeed, I was there the night that Dumbledore was killed. Draco was lowering his wand, he was going to let Albus help him hide his mother. Draco Malfoy, may have started out as a bad seed, but when he grew up, he became a white rose, and he knows what he did in the past was wrong. Now, as for his charges, I do know he is a death eater, I personally think the charges should be dropped, as for spells, the darkest thing I saw him cast was a cutting hex, at a giant who was about to wipe out the Ravenclaw Tower. In my personal opinion both Malfoy's are not guilty, however, if you feel you must punish them, I beg you to punish them to community service, in which they will spend one month helping restore not only the castle of Hogwarts, but the city of Hogsmead and Diagon alley as well." With his piece said, Harry turned, nodded his head to Draco, walked over to Mrs. Malfoy and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then walked back to the box to sit with his friends while the fate of his fellow schoolmate and his mother were decided. It took only a few moments for the Wizengamot to come to a decision. No one was really surprised, if Harry Potter thought that they should go unpunished then who were they to beg to differ.

"Narcissa Renee Malfoy nee Black, we find you not guilty of all charges, and reinstate you as a witch with full use of her magic. Anyone who says differently will be met with punishment from the law, and tomorrow your name will be cleared in the paper." There were tears in her eyes as she sat waiting with baited breath for her sons outcome.

"Mr. Draco Lucius Severus Malfoy, we find you not guilty of belonging to the organization known as "the death eaters," however, we find you guilty of the use of dark or banned spells, your punishment is one month community service, to be checked with Ms. Hermione Granger. Your name will be cleared in the paper tomorrow, and you shall be reinstated as a full wizard. Please understand you are only found guilty of using dark or banned magic because we feel you need this community service to come to terms with things, and that as a participant of the battle you should help rebuild the school." With that the shackles around the Malfoys' wrists dropped to the floor and they were free. Narcissa hugged her son and then ran across the room and hugged not only Harry, but Ron and Hermione as well. She then invited them to dinner, in muggle London, with her and Draco. Harry and Hermione accepted, but Ron had to get home to help with George. Since the battle he had fallen into a depression that no one except Ron seemed to be able to get him out of.

After that night, the Malfoy's either joined Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's or invited them to dinner at least once a week.


End file.
